Packaging

What do consumers want in a package? That question and others were asked in a poll published last year in Packaging Magazine, which has now merged with Packaging Digest. The poll has been conducted annually since 1985, says Mary Ann Falkman, executive editor of Packaging Digest. Here are some of the 1994 findings: * About 85% of the nearly 700 respondents said recycling used packaging is extremely important or somewhat important. About 75% said they recycle, up from 70% in 1991.

Russ Newton joined The Times in 2000 as director of operations and president at California Community News, one of the Times wholly-owned business units. Before joining The Times, he was director of operations from 1998 to 2000 at Landoll Inc., a Tribune Education company. Previously, he led the packaging department at the Orlando Sentinel in Orlando, Fla., from 1994 to 1998, and the production division, press and packaging areas at the Daily Press in Newport News, Va., from 1987 to 1994. Newton joined Tribune Co. in 1985, serving as a shift supervisor, crew supervisor and trainer at the Chicago Tribune from 1985 to 1987.

Homemade food makes a wonderful gift this time of year, but so often carefully made delicious treats are piled unceremoniously onto paper plates, wrapped haphazardly in tinfoil or carelessly tossed into plastic bags. It may be the thought that counts, but packaging matters too. With so many easy and inexpensive ways to wrap food gifts, there is no excuse not to create an attractive presentation. Discount and craft stores are great sources for inexpensive containers and low-cost embellishments.

CHICAGO - Wal-Mart is trying to make organic food more accessible to its budget-conscious shoppers. The retailer is making a bigger bet on the fast-growing category, teaming with Wild Oats to sell organic packaged food priced in line with conventional foods and at least 25% cheaper than other organic brands it currently carries. The effort by Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer and the largest single seller of food in the United States, could have a ripple effect in the grocery industry.

Environmentalists have launched a global campaign against Mattel Inc., the world's largest toy company, as part of a decade-long effort to force multinational corporations to purge their operations of any links to rain forest destruction. On Tuesday, Greenpeace activists in turquoise vests rappelled down the face of the company's 15-story headquarters in El Segundo and hung a giant banner depicting a frowning Ken doll with the message: "Barbie: it's over. I don't date girls that are into deforestation.

Sebastian International did more than sing the praises of its latest cuts and colors early this week at the Hairdressers' Guild show in Long Beach. Executives of the Woodland Hills hair-care and cosmetics company put employees in issue-oriented T-shirts ("Protect the Planet, Protect the Species"), introduced biodegradable packaging and sealed its commitment to the Rainforest Foundation with a $50,000 check and a promise of $200,000 more by the end of the year.

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Ruth Galanter Wednesday proposed a citywide ban on foam packaging used by the food industry, and the elimination of at least half of other non-biodegradable food packing materials. Saying the lack of landfills in the city has created crisis conditions, Galanter pushed for a one-year voluntary reduction on the use of polystyrene foam used to insulate food. Under the terms of Galanter's motion, a mandatory ban on the material would follow the voluntary reduction.

Plastic grocery bags in recent years have become standard at most markets. Sometimes the bagger will ask "plastic or paper?" but, if they don't, the likelihood is that you'll be lugging groceries home in plastic sacks. San Diego-based Big Bear Markets is trying to change this. In recent weeks the 30-store chain has started encouraging the use of paper bags once again. Plastic is still available, but paper is pushed. Paper containers also have replaced plastic foam in Big Bear delicatessens, and the stores are sprinkled with signs trying to educate customers on such things as buying pump sprays rather than aerosol.

The City Council approved a new ordinance this month making it a crime to put hate literature, targeted at any group, in food packages. There have been no reported incidents of hate literature being placed in food packages in Agoura Hills, but there have been several incidents in other areas of Los Angeles County.

Los Angeles City Council members are pushing ahead in their efforts to formulate an ordinance that would reduce the amount of non-recyclable packaging material generated by the city. The City Council's Environmental Quality and Waste Management Committee has agreed to have the chief legislative analyst prepare a report on the measures that can be taken to eliminate packaging containers--typically those used by fast-food restaurants--that do not decompose.

Question: A reader writes that she and her husband are retired, older than 70 and want to travel. They can leave at a moment's notice, so they want to know whether they can take advantage of last-minute deals and, if so, where. (For security reasons, we are not using their names, which are unusual and could make them a target of thieves.) Answer: Travel industry providers have trained us to expect to pay a premium for last-minute travel, except when it's to their benefit, such as moving unsold inventory that will otherwise go unused.

Diesel-powered cars save on fuel, but many of them won't save you any money. That's because they cost thousands more to buy in the first place, compared with similar gas-powered models. And many automakers usually offer diesel engines only in combination with a pricey set of standard features. So it can take years - if ever - to make up for those upfront costs through savings at the pump. That's what makes the latest addition to Volkswagen's growing diesel fleet, the Jetta TDI Value Edition, so intriguing.

WASHINGTON -- Legislation to approve $1 billion in loan guarantees for Ukraine and impose sanctions against Russia cleared a key Senate hurdle Monday, but Congress remained locked in a partisan fight over the details of the package. By a vote of 78-17, the measure advanced after overcoming the threat of a GOP filibuster and objections from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and other tea party-aligned conservatives. But the Senate package still faces opposition in the House, where Republicans -- with backing from key Democrats -- are crafting their own version.

WASHINGTON -- As Congress weighs imposing sanctions on Russia in response to military action in Crimea, Majority Leader Eric Cantor said Wednesday the House would vote "soon" on an aid package for Ukraine. Money for Ukraine's embattled government would come in the form of a loan, Republican officials said, tapping into already funded accounts so approval would be easier in the fiscally conservative House. The Senate is working on its own measures to respond to the crisis in the former Soviet republic.

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration will ask Congress to approve $1 billion in loan guarantees and other assistance to help stabilize the new, pro-Western government in Ukraine, Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said Tuesday. The loans will be part of a larger international aid package coordinated by the U.S. and European allies, and distributed largely through the International Monetary Fund. The money is needed to close a gaping budget hole left when the Ukraine opposition deposed President Viktor Yanukovich and rejected a loan package from Moscow.

Kanye West and Jay Z's collaborative relationship has already yielded plenty of hits, a critically heralded joint album and a blockbuster tour. Now the two hip-hop heavyweights are aligning their business endeavors. West's design and content house Donda has entered into a partnership with Jay's Roc Nation, the companies announced in a joint statement on Monday. The partnership will focus on West's international recording brand and his touring ventures. Donda, named after West's late mother, was launched in 2009 when he collaborated with Louis Vuitton for a footwear collection.

I beg to differ with the headline "Smart Packages" describing Swanson's new resealable packaging for its chicken broth (Cookstuff, April 2). Swanson's inseparable combination of paper and plastics makes it unrecyclable and is, therefore, a tremendously irresponsible choice of packaging ecologically. Your article's praise of the package's "convenience" overlooks the fact that at least one readily available means of packaging broth and other liquids, the tin can, is easily recyclable.

The 7,200 conventioneers who gathered in Anaheim Wednesday for a packaging industry exposition didn't look like they were under attack. The demonstrations of wrapping, stuffing and labeling machines seemed to proceed unhindered, and the racks of plastic bottles, cardboard cartons and foam insulators were not being visibly assaulted. But any doubts that the industry has an image problem were quickly put to rest by the latest cover story in Packaging magazine: Packaging Under Attack.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation Saturday to free up the state's water supplies and aid residents who face hardship because of the drought, according to a release from his office. More than $687 million will go to drought relief, money that will fund housing and food for workers directly affected by the drought and projects aimed at more efficiently capturing water, the release said. “Legislators across the aisle have now voted to help hard-pressed communities that face water shortages,” Brown said in a statement.